Preservation and Storage of Human Blood Plasma Proteins

Human blood plasma has been the primary source for a number of therapeutic transfusion products for more than forty years now. This situation will continue for quite some time, notwithstanding the arrival in the future of preparations produced by recombinant-DNA technology. Nowadays, a variety of plasma proteins is needed for substitution therapy. These include coagulation factors (among others factors VIII, IX, VII, von Willebrand factor), protease inhibitors (antithrombin III, Cl-esterase inhibitor and, under investigation α1-antitrypsin), immunoglobulins (both normal immunoglobulin and specific immunoglobulins, derived from selected plasma containing high-titer antibodies directed against a specific pathogen) and albumin preparations, the latter being the longest existing plasma product. Other plasma componnents may be needed in the near future like activated factor VII and activated protein C.